Pagers, Walkie-Talkies Turned Into Terror Weapons: What Lebanon Attacks Signify For India’s Security Concerns

Twin attacks have struck Lebanon recently. On Wednesday (September 18) walkie-talkies were used to detonate explosives, killing at least 20 people and injuring 450 in an attack aimed at Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. This came just a day after pager blasts claimed the lives of at least 12 people, including children, and left thousands injured across the country.

Israel’s defence minister described the situation as the start of a “new era” of warfare, indirectly admitting the country’s involvement in the surprise attacks that have brought the region closer to a larger conflict. Yoav Gallant stated, “The focus is shifting north,” referring to the border with Lebanon.

A former Indian military intelligence officer, on his part, told a media outlet that the recent events in Lebanon signalled the start of a “new kind of warfare”. He explained that phones could now listen to conversations, making them a weapon. This shows a big change in how modern warfare is being fought.

Pagers’ Journey: Asia to Hezbollah

According to a Lebanese security source who spoke to CNN, Hezbollah had purchased the pagers that exploded in recent months. The New York Times, citing US and other officials, reported that Israel had placed explosives near the battery of each pager, along with a remote detonation switch.

When CNN investigated where the pagers came from, they discovered a supply chain that went from Asia to Europe. A Taiwanese electronics company revealed that a small European firm had produced the pagers connected to the deadly attack on Hezbollah members in Lebanon.

At Gold Apollo’s, a very ordinary office on the outskirts of Taiwan’s capital, company founder Hsu Ching-kuang denied producing the pagers used in Tuesday’s (September 17) attack with their brand name. He later suggested that a Budapest-based company, BAC Consulting, might be responsible, but this claim is unsubstantiated.

Gold Apollo stated that BAC was entirely responsible for the design and production of the products. Hsu, the founder, mentioned that his company had begun working with the Hungarian firm around three years ago. These claims raise more doubts about who actually made the devices and how they ended up in the hands of the Hezbollah. However, Hungarian officials rejected Gold Apollo’s claims, clarifying that the Budapest-based company was only a trading middleman and had no manufacturing facilities in Hungary.

Counterfeit Walkie-Talkies Suspected

A Japanese company, ICOM, which produces walkie-talkies and radio devices for marine, aviation and land users, and considers itself a “world leader in the amateur radio market”, as stated on its website, said on Thursday that the model of its walkie-talkie connected to the explosions in Lebanon had been discontinued 10 years ago and had not been shipped from their company since then.

The IC-V82 is a handheld radio that was manufactured and exported, including to the Middle East, from 2004 until October 2014. The company also mentioned that production of the device’s batteries had stopped. Since the products did not have a hologram seal to identify fakes, they could not confirm if the devices were originally shipped by them.

Lebanon’s communications ministry reported that the walkie-talkies used in Wednesday’s attack were an older model, the IC-V82, manufactured by a Japanese company. According to the ministry, the IC-V82 radios were not obtained from an official dealer, did not have proper licences and had not been checked by the security authorities.

India Faces Newer Warfare Challenges

The former Indian military intelligence officer who spoke to a media outlet on the recent events in Lebanon signalling the start of a new kind of warfare explained that the expression that “phones could now listen to conversations, turning them into weapons” meant that mobile phones or other communication devices were being used to secretly monitor, or “eavesdrop” on, people’s conversations, meaning to secretly listen to a conversation without the speakers knowing about it.

This information can then be exploited for harmful purposes—spying, gathering sensitive data, or manipulating situations. In this context, phones are no longer just communication tools, but are being turned into instruments of warfare, used for surveillance and intelligence gathering.

The officer added that he had often mentioned that controlling the electromagnetic spectrum was key to dominating future battlefields. Think of the electromagnetic spectrum as an open ocean. Those who control the main routes hold the power. It is similar to the Suez Canal. The seas may be open, but the one who controls the canal controls a significant part of global power.

The electromagnetic spectrum refers to the range of all types of energy waves, such as radio waves, microwaves and light, which help us communicate, see and transfer data. Controlling this spectrum means managing how these waves are used, which can be crucial for technology and defence.

Col. Bakshi, a former senior military officer, while speaking to Russian media Sputnik, used Russia as an example to highlight how warfare had changed. He pointed out that, instead of traditional weapons, such as grenades and machine guns, drones were now being used to directly deliver explosives into enemy territory. According to the Colonel, future wars will not take place on traditional battlefields, but will be fought behind the scenes, relying more on covert and technological strategies.

The Colonel has warned that relying too much on foreign software and hardware could lead to big problems globally—and not only for India. He has pointed out that, if such a service as Google were to go offline for just 3-4 hours, it could cause widespread panic. If people rely too much on technology and it is suddenly taken away, it will feel like being naked in public, explains the Colonel.

A few years ago, Bombay faced a power outage and, in Delhi, hospitals were hacked, causing confusion for three days as no one could access patients’ records or their medical histories. So, imagine this happening nationwide, where everything relies on data. From daily tasks to using your Aadhaar card, if someone blocks your ability to receive OTPs, banks could shut down. The resulting chaos would be overwhelming and truly frightening.

Software Origins a Red Flag for India?

Sanjiv Arora, a cyber security expert, told Sputnik that the Lebanon explosions seemed to have been triggered by modified pagers used in the attack. It was unlikely that any manufacturer would produce these pagers as regular items, since global compatibility standards were typically set by such organisations as the IEEE or IETF.

Experts highlighted that such countries as India were becoming more reliant on technology, particularly for services related to data verification and banking. India needs to be cautious about whom we buy technology from and what kind of features we choose. Are we buying standard products? Or are they customized, which can increase the chances of bugs and errors.

We should adopt a detailed monitoring strategy that does not just focus on potential attacks or errors, but also keeps an eye on any unusual activities or inconsistencies. By examining all irregularities, we can identify hidden issues early on and prevent them from turning into major problems. This broader approach ensures that nothing gets overlooked, improving overall security and reliability.

(The author of this article is a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach him at: girishlinganna@gmail.com)